The membership committee (myself, Lois Schoenbrun, and Terry Copeland) have spent some time working on how to acquire new TRUE members.

We put together a "sales pitch" based on the information on this site in the About TRUE section.  That was posted on a couple of the BBS sites with an invitation to join.  I believe it was also distributed at a couple of events.  It is not clear yet if there were any takers, but hopefully attendance at the San Jose meeting will be boosted and new members will join there.  We have also discussed TRUE one-on-one with some newer referees who were generally unaware of it.

Another thing we noted is that there are a number of referees who have been members at some point in the past few years, but are not current (dues not paid).  Apathy?

What really got me thinking (and posting this) was when I struggled a bit in Kansas City to articulate why someone should join.  How do I answer a prospective member who essentially asks "what's in it for me?".  Or put another way: "what do I get for my annual $20?".

Going back 15 years, strength in numbers ment a real chance to change working conditions for referees.  The advantage to joining was obvious and the group was successful in bringing about change.  I am speaking based on anecdotes, since I was not in the picture back then.  Now that conditions are reasonably good I think TRUE may have lost some purpose and focus internally and is less appealing externally.

Our mission statement shows the way forward, however.  Very succinct as it is:  "The mission of TRUE is to build a community of USAT referees".

Communities work when the members communicate and help each other.  TRUE has always provided a venue for communication and been full of seniors willing to help their juniors.  That was a secondary focus initially, but has become the primary purpose (it would seem) of the organization.

These intangible benefits we all enjoy are a subtle thing however and not easily pitched in such a way that the prospective member is eager to open their wallet and join up.  It is not as though TRUE members are a clique who only socialize amongst themselves.  Without being an officer, or part of the membership committee, it is very difficult to know who is even a member.  Referees are one community at events whether they are part of TRUE or not.  So where is the advantage to becoming part of the organization?  I think it speeds up the natural process of making connections with other referees, for one thing.

I can see the benefits of membership for myself, but help me see how to articulate them to others.  Are there some things I'm overlooking? 

Please use this thread to talk about why you are (or are not) a member and ideas you have for boosting membership in TRUE.